Southwestern Salad with Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette

It's a long story, but a few weeks ago we were gifted with a number of salad kits - you know, the kind that have all the ingredients inside the bag and all you have to do is mix them together.

While the free salads were nice, none of the included salad dressings were vegan-friendly. I decided I'd make up my own dressings to coordinate with the ingredients in the bags. My first attempt at a dressing for one of the salads was a smash hit with me, Shana, and some friends of ours who just had a baby (we took them lunch). I made it again with the second kit and it was just as good.

We've been all out of the salad kits for a while, but I had a craving for this salad. After a quick search of my local grocery store, I realized I could get all the ingredients and could just make my own! This simple,healthy, and delicious salad is great for warm summer days.

Southwestern Salad with Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette
Ingredients
1 small head of cabbage, chopped (roughly 6 cups)
1 c. tortilla strips
1/2 c. pepitas (toasted, or toast your own)
6 T. canola/vegetable oil
2 T. lime juice
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. black pepper

Directions
1. If necessary, toast the pepitas in an oven or toaster oven (listen carefully for "popping" noises and then remove them). Allow to cool.
2. Chop the cabbage.
3. Put the cabbage, tortilla strips, and pepitas in a large bowl.
4. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, mix the oil, lime juice, lemon juice, salt, cumin, paprika, and pepper.
5. Pour over salad and toss to combine.

Helpful Hints

• We aren't huge cilantro-eaters, but adding fresh cilantro to the salad would be a great addition if you enjoy it!
• Assuming that your tortilla strips are soy- and gluten-free, this is a great choice to feed to folks with multiple allergies. Pepitas, being seeds, should generally not impact someone allergic to nuts. 
• This would be a great salad for a potluck. Rather than making the salad at home, put the pepitas and tortilla strips in a small container, bring the dressing a jar, and combine everything on site. 

The post "Southwestern Salad with Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette" first appeared on Maggie's LesVegan Kitchen.